There have been countless rumors about the release date of the iPhone 6, but has the elusive day finally been identified? As far as we're concerned, Apple's latest and greatest smartphone can't hit soon enough. We've also got news regarding updates to two popular apps, plus lots of behind-the-scenes rumblings at Beats as their acquisition by Apple comes ever closer to finalization.

Apple May Have Busy October Ahead, Starting with iPhone 6

MacRumors today reported that Apple may be shifting its smartphone release strategy from years part, with insider sources claiming the iPhone 6 could launch Tuesday, October 14. The rumor comes straight from an "internal Apple Retail Store meeting" where a senior Store Leader referred to the above date as an "immense" day for Cupertino, elaborating that the entire month of October would be a "very busy" time for Apple and its fleet of retail locations.

Prior to now, most analysts have predicted a September launch for iPhone 6 and iOS 8, with October slotted for OS X Yosemite, a potential iPad refresh and possibly even the fabled iWatch wearable. There's no word on whether the iPhone 6 launch will include both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models, but the same source claims Apple will have "an ample supply" of hardware available, which could be part of Cupertino's motivation for shifting the launch from its traditional Friday slot.

1Password Preparing for iOS 8

The makers of 1Password sent out a call to fellow developers Wednesday with a brief video demonstrating how the company's new app extension will make life easier when iOS 8 launches this fall. Featuring automatic login fill for third-party apps and Touch ID support, developers can supposedly add support with a minimum of effort. Speaking of which, another popular iOS app just made the leap to Mac today....

Shazam Makes Leap to Mac OS X as Menu Bar Application

Shazam today announced Shazam for Mac, a free Mac App Store menubar application that offers the same music and TV show recognition service from mobile devices on OS X. "Shazam for Mac runs quietly behind the scenes, but springs to life when it finds a song, show, or ad you should know about, creating a playlist as it goes," the company explained in a press release Thursday. "Mac users can now effortlessly find it, share it, and buy it. Shazam also provides instant access to lyrics and more tracks by the artists you discover." Shazam for Mac is now available from the Mac App Store.

Beats Electronics Staff Shuffled Ahead of Acquisition

9to5Mac reported Wednesday that Apple has started the process of transitioning Beats Electronics into the fold ahead of the acquisition, which is expected to close sometime in the next two months. Unfortunately for employees in Beats' support, finance, and HR departments, the transition means redundancy, with many such workers reportedly laid off in recent weeks and others "offered positions until the end of January 2015."

The Beats hardware team will largely transfer over to Cupertino unscathed, while "select engineers" from the Beats Music team will remain in Santa Monica. A source close to the proceedings claims that Beats chief creative officer Trent Reznor and Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers will also join Apple, although it's not yet clear in what capacity.

Last but not least, Apple has apparently started the process of transitioning the Beats Music streaming technology into its own "iTunes infrastructure," but sources cite compatibility issues which may require additional work on Beats Music in the near future.